After two years as head football coach of the Godby Cougars, Demario Jones is stepping down and heading to Georgia, named as head coach at Charlton County in Folkston.

Jones confirmed to the Tallahassee Democrat that he was stepping down as head coach at Godby, and in a social media post late Tuesday night, he was announced as the new head coach of the Indians.

Tasked with rebuilding the Cougars program, Jones posted a 5-14 record during his time with Godby, with a 3-6 finish in 2023 and having the team in the playoff conversation for part of the season.

For Jones, the goal at Godby was to not only develop the rebuilding program but also build connections with his players, the community and the school.

"Our mission was always to build up not just the young people in our program, but anybody that we came in contact with, to be the best that they can be and to have pride in what we're doing," Jones said. "At first things were a little rough out on the football field, but a lot more competitive this year. I knew what a rebuilding job it was going to be coming into Godby, maybe not a lot of people would have wanted it considering it wasn't going to be instant success."

The decision to leave Godby wasn't easy for Jones, who labeled his exit as "bittersweet", but the opportunity to be closer to home was something he couldn't pass on. Jones, whose family is in Jacksonville, will now be just under an hour from home in his new role in Folkston.

"This is an opportunity that I just couldn't pass up on for our family, getting us even closer to home," Jones said. "We've got a new home now, we've got a new set of challenges, but ones that we're very excited about. Football is important, and this is a small community with a huge heart and they love their football, so we're just fired up and we're excited."

Leaving Godby, Jones hopes the work he did while head coach of the Cougars will leave a lasting mark. He shared messages with his players, meeting with each varsity and junior varsity player individually, and wants the community to remain committed to the team.

"I just want the community to just rally behind our kids," Jones said. "We tried to bring more games to the home field this year, to try and boost the morale and that pride I know is still existent within the Godby community. I so very much enjoyed my time at the beginning of this rebuild process and any success that will be owned and attained by these kids will just make me proud because I know the difficult days are behind and I know the better days are ahead."

Jones's last day at Godby will be Tuesday, Dec. 19. He will replace Russ Murray, who led Charlton County to a 2-9 finish in the 2023 season. John Holston has been named interim head coach for Godby.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Godby's Demario Jones leaves program, takes role in Georgia